NEW DELHI: The three tri-service agencies to handle the critical modern warfare domains of special operations, cyberspace and space are taking shape, with two-star officers being appointed to head them.

Maj Gen A K Dhingra, from the 1 Para-Special Forces unit, will be the first commander of the Special Operations Division, while Rear Admiral Mohit Gupta will head the new Defence Cyber Agency. An air vice-marshal from the IAF, in turn, will head the Defence Space Agency.

These three agencies, which will become fully operational by October-November, are actually truncated versions of the original proposal to have full-fledged commands under three-star officers (lieutenant generals, vice-admirals or air marshals) to handle the rapidly expanding challenges in space, cyberspace and clandestine warfare in a synergised manner, as was first reported by TOI.

The Special Operations Division, for instance, will have just a small number of commandos under it, while the three services will retain the bulk of their special forces. The Army, for instance, has nine Para-Special Forces and five Para (airborne) battalions (each has 620 soldiers), while the Navy has 1,200 Marcos (marine commandos) and IAF 1,000 Garud commandos.

“The three new agencies are a small beginning to inject jointness and synergy among the Army, Navy and IAF. In the future, they can grow into full-fledged commands,” said an official.

The Paras, Marcos and Garuds have inducted highly specialised equipment, ranging from new long-range sniper rifles and man-portable anti-tank weapons systems to high-speed underwater scooters and hand-launched micro drones, over the years.

But they still work in separate silos. Several committees, including the Naresh Chandra Taskforce in May 2012, have strongly recommended that the disparate special forces of the armed forces and other agencies should be brought under a unified command and control structure to execute strategic operations in tune with national security objectives.

The DSA will basically merge the existing Defence Imagery Processing and Analysis Centre (Delhi) and the Defence Satellite Control Centre (Bhopal) while the existing Defence Information Assurance and Research Agency is being upgraded to DCA.

India has only two unified commands till now. The first was the Andaman and Nicobar Command, established as a theatre command in 2001. The Strategic Forces Command, in turn, was created in 2003 to handle the country’s nuclear arsenal. But there are 17 single-service commands (Army 7, IAF 7 and Navy 3), which many believe are a waste of resources and infrastructure.

VinodTK, Thanks for the full text post.You can bet of TOI to find a turd in the punch bowl.Even a good thing is found fault.

The idea of Special Operations Division is to consolidate the most aggressive forces in once command for prompt action. The three service still need their special forces for special tasks peculiar to their domain. E.g. guarding airbases and the special ordnance.One can't take away the para forces from the army which are really the airborne troops.Rajat Pandit is an idiot to bring them into the discussion.

BTW to me the idea of Commands for those three new areas is grandiose empire building by the three service chiefs and shame on them for stalling the creation of these necessary tools for at-least a decade. No need to ape the US which has global responsibility while India has a one and half front. In big picture Pakistan is just a big theater with many sectors.

ramana wrote: <snip>...BTW to me the idea of Commands for those three new areas is grandiose empire building by the three service chiefs and shame on them for stalling the creation of these necessary tools for at-least a decade.

+100. I also find the notion that each division will be 'reserved' for a designated service to be appaling. Certainly, some of IAF Garud and IN Marcos leaders are also good enough to head the AFSOD. I'd rather have the best person to have the job.

That said, any progress is good progress. Hope they three new divisions fare better than ANC and IDS.

The creation of the AFSOD (lets called it the S.O.D - sounds better) will offer decision makers another go-to option.

For the first time, there is a Special Forces formation - and not just a SF unit - who you can task to achieve objectives. Thus, you can achieve bigger objectives. The only other formation equivalent to it is the 50th Independent Brigade. Ofcourse the latter is like a small army on its own and is co located with air force so much more mature.

I see SOD fill a niche between NSG and Special Group. The likes of Surgical Strikes are still best to SF units attached to Northern Command. I hope they will get its own base and maybe co-located with a C-130 squadron.

Will be very interesting to see the kind of ops SOD will be tasked with.